it's actully pretty funny that bootleg splinter is better then the first one that came out hahaha!

That's an interesting point. Though I certainly wouldn't want to buy any of these figures, they do somehow possess a strangely interesting quality about them. Just the notion that these bootleggers go to such great lengths to manufacture, produce and package these rip-off toys in order to pass them off as real ones -- and then screw them all up by doing the most asinine things, like inserting lights in their chests or putting five turtles on the packaging.

Furthermore, where would you purchase these? Do any large retailers actually carry these things? That simply wouldn't fly over here in Canada and in the U.S. -- but do big-name stores in Serbia sell these?

Thing is, people here aren't exactly loaded with money, so any toy store that wants to make some profit carries bootlegs as well as originals... These bootlegs are all legaly imported by several different companies; each toy comes with a generic declaration/sticker that reads:

Besides the toys I have already mentioned, I have bootlegged LEGOs, Action Man, Max Steel, Hulk and many more- even a few Bratz dolls and a NES console ... I'm thinking about starting a website dedicated to bootlegs, there's so much material!

That's fascinating...So what's the sticker price on these? 'Same as the real ones?

Well, the Fightin' Gear Turtles were roughly $3.50, others were closer to four bucks... while regular originals are 15$* , the deluxes 18.75 and, for instance, those "Paleo Patrol" Turtle + Veichle 2- packs are $ 30 and some change... so, you can see the appeal of these bootlegs .

* Which is silly, IMO - the Marvel Legends have the same price, while oher ToyBiz figures are even cheaper, in the 12 $ range... I guess the importers are trying to cash in on the Turtles' popularity...

Just the notion that these bootleggers go to such great lengths to manufacture, produce and package these rip-off toys in order to pass them off as real ones -- and then screw them all up by doing the most asinine things, like inserting lights in their chests or putting five turtles on the packaging.

I didn't know about the 5 turtles until you pointed that out.

It's like that trick where someone makes you read a card that says

I am a very smart
smart person

or something to that extent, where you don't know the word is there twice unless you are careful.

I will say the TMNT play cards are the pick of the litter. Especially the one with original comic book design.

That's a really cool bootleg Leo figure. So how are these guys doing this? Are they stealing the molds from the Playmates Toys factory and messing with them?

No-- most likely they're casting the original toys in some kind of hard plaster and then using that as a mold to make more toys. Anyone could do it, really.

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Originally Posted by IndigoErth

I can hear it now: "I'm sorry little April, I told you that if you didn't take good care of them I'd be taking them away. Now they are going to the lab to be abused for experimentation" (You could almost rewrite this as April caused the fire to get back at her father over it...)

Another thing about the bootleg figures is that nobody knows if the paint on them is safe. I assume the official figures have safe paint, but when it comes to bootlegs it wouldn't suprise me if they had lead paint.

Another thing about the bootleg figures is that nobody knows if the paint on them is safe. I assume the official figures have safe paint, but when it comes to bootlegs it wouldn't suprise me if they had lead paint.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about such things. Even though bootleg toys have a much smaller production run than the original, they are still producing runs numbering at least in the thousands. Factor in the need to be able to produce all of the packaging and shipping cases and it is a pretty safe bet that these bootlegs are being produced in the same factories that produce regular mass market toys. They aren't being cooked up in some guys basement or garage. And they are probably using the same materials. Just take what ever left overs they may have and use them for the cheap knock offs where quality won't be as big of an issue.